Garuda
|Image= |Realname=Dr Hamida Dhanda |Aliases= |Identity=Public |Species=Human |Nationality=Indian |Base= |Gender=Male |Height=5'7" |Weight= |Eyes=Brown |Hair=Black |Marital=Married |Occupation=Biologist |FirstApp=Justice League Beyond Vol. 6 Issue 002}} Garuda is an Indian super-villain and foe of Steel Shiva. Slipping in and out of sanity due to his experimental gene-splicing treatments, he has regularly been detained in BRASS after he has gone on a super-powered crime spree. History Dr Hamida Dhanda was a scientist who had worked for several prestigious employers, including the Indian government and Adani Energies. His specialist field was biology and in particular chimeric DNA, having been a pioneer on adapting cosmetic human-animal Splicing projects into more medicinal treatments. Despite this success, however, Dr Dhanda was not a happy man. Forced into an arranged marriage by parental pressure with a woman he felt no great attachment to and sidelined from public attention for his studies by the political manoeuvrings of his fellow scientists, he felt undervalued and trapped both at work and at home. As part of his studies he was working on an eagle-infused serum, which he hoped would allow for transferring superior eyesight to people. Refused permission to test his latest alteration by a superior who wanted to keep the credit purely their own when it came time to award patents, he unofficially continued work and tested a version of the serum on himself. An overactive chimeric transmission process saw him morph into a half-human, half-bird and develop a personality shift from the timid Hamida to a bold, brash and violent person. The transformation was potent but short-lived - when the serum dose wore off he returned to his original form. However, both physically and psychologically he soon found himself addictive to this new transformation and sought to use it to get revenge on those who he felt had wronged him. In his form he took to calling himself Garuda, after the mythological bird creature from Indian myth. Garuda has been in and out of BRASS ever since, crossing paths with the police and superheroes including Steel Shiva. On several occasions he has endeavored to turn a new leaf and get back to married suburban life, but unfortunately the call of the Garuda serum has so far proven too strong. Personality A mild-mannered man before his fateful invention, Dr Hamida Dhanda has become addicted both to the physical effects of the Garuda serum and also the emotional release of what he can do in his alter-ego. Despite attempts to kick this habit he finds the urge to re administer the serum, especially in stressful situations, as powerful as addiction to a drug like Heroin or Crystal Meth. When dosed with the drug his mind becomes more animal-like and he behaves surprisingly bold, claiming to be the king of all birds. Appearance Dr Dhanda in his normal form is a small, thin unassuming man with eyeglasses and a receding hairline. He looks like a somewhat stereotypical scientist. However, under the influence of his Garuda potion he takes on a half-man half-bird appearance. His body is covered in feathers, his eyes change shape and grows bony beaks and claws. Powers In his Garuda form, Dr Dhanda takes on the physique of a bird-man hybrid and with it gains the ability to fly, possesses powerful vision and savage claws. His agility skyrockets making him a nimble opponent who is hard to pin down. Garuda also has some control over animals, being able to command birds and even summon them over long distances. He cannot communicate with them verbally or in detail but has some sort of psychic bond with them. The Garuda powers only last as long as Dr Dhanda is dosed with the Garuda serum. If it runs out or an antidote is applied, he reverts to his human form. Allies & Enemies Allies * Rani Rakshasi, sometimes employer Enemies * Steel Shiva, Indian Superhero Category:Characters Category:NPCs Category:Supervillians Category:India